The day I found this little French Provincial Dresser at a thrift store, the stars, the moon and the sun had all perfectly aligned, and I knew it was meant to be mine.  Mother and I were actually on our way to meet a seller to purchase one nearly identical to this one.  We had stopped at a local thrift store to kill some time, and I was making my way through the store when I saw it.  If this had been a cartoon, there would have been twinkling lights circling all around it, while a warn, heavenly glow surrounded it and the angels sang.  The seller was asking $60 for his and I picked up this beauty for a mere $28.  Can I get a hallelujah, amen?

Structurally, it was sound, but one of the drawer fronts had come loose and the previous owner must have been a smoker.  The drawer front was an easy fix for my handy hubby, but the smell required a bit more work.  Using vinegar and water, I sprayed the interior and let it sit out in the sun for several hours.  The vinegar helped neutralize the smoke odor, and by the time I had finished it, the smell was pretty much gone.  (I added fabric softener sheets to each drawer as an added precaution.)

I gave it a fresh coat of paint in a soft gray and washed it with a homemade glaze to age it a bit.  I then added a bit of gilding paste to bring out the decorative scroll work and details.  I LOVE how it turned out!!  It was just what I needed for our master bedroom makeover.  The mirror I used had been in storage pretty much since I bought it 15 years ago at a jockey lot.  I painted it in a similar fashion and even though they weren’t a set, I think they go perfectly together!

After:

Before:  Dresser & Mirror